etai101 - Dec 17, 2010 12:54 pm Date Climbed: May 27, 2008
firt climb in the blanca
good for the strat got a guide though unescery proved much less daunting
Luciano136 - Aug 5, 2010 12:39 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2010
Standard route
We only had a short time to acclimate (3 day trek) before attempting Pisco. Luckily we did some good training before leaving for Peru and that really paid off. Left the moraine camp around 2am and were on top around 7am; the pace was actually a bit too slow for me and I got a bit chilly at times. There was a really big group in front of us, which caused a bit of a traffic jam on the final summit slope. All in all, not too hard of a day with a gorgeous starry night, no wind and nearly full moon. It was surreal.
Started at 5:00 from refugio Peru, summited at 11:00. I was climbing with an italian climber who was really slow, so it could be reached much earlier, i think in 4 hours could be done without problems. Really easy climb. Views are one of the most beautiful i´ve ever seen.
dwalters1 - Oct 20, 2009 1:24 pm Date Climbed: Jun 14, 2007
Pisco - Standard
Nice climb with great views of the cordillera - definately soloable, very little crevasse danger. Would recommenda yanapacha as an alternative for acclimatization as pisco can get crowded.
Alberto - Sep 3, 2009 8:42 am Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2009
Normal route: a fantastic day
I climbed Pisco via the normal route from Refuge camp. It took us just over 5 hours to reach the summit just as the sun was coming up. I really enjoyed the climb, the final wall made it a bit more fun. We had been hiking and climbing for a couple of weeks before attempting Pisco, so fortunately no altitude problems. The views from the summit are great as Pisco is ideally positioned in the middle of the main Blanca mountains. I highly recommend it. Only negative aspect, the moraine on the way back was never ending!
FlatheadJim - Jul 4, 2009 12:29 am Date Climbed: Jun 9, 2006
Normal route
Nice climb at the tail end of a month in the Blanca. After a month, no strain with altitutde
Ario - Jul 2, 2009 10:16 am Date Climbed: Jun 30, 2009
Normal Route
Soloed via the normal route (PD), leaving the hut (Refugio Peru) at 01:30 and summiting at 08:00. Sunny day but winds of 10 to 30 km/h all night and day with gusts > 50 km/h near the top early in the morning.
We finally all got to the top of a peak in the Cordillera Blanca together, with nobody too sick to summit! With my wife Sonya, Derek, Maggie, Oscar, and Carlos.
At morraine camp a friend developed HAPE, so went back down with him. Then returned to climb it. Broke my foot on the climb - while on the talus-covered glacier crossing a climber above me set off a rock slide, my foot got caught between two rocks. It wasn't til I got back to the States that an X-ray showed a broken metatarsul. Still, a lot of fun.
ClimberMan420 - Dec 12, 2007 1:14 am Date Climbed: May 9, 2007
Great peak
Absolutely fantastic peak, climbed it in super easy conditions(no problematic crevasses) returned two weeks later and climbed again for asthetic value.
gremlin - Oct 24, 2007 1:30 am Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2007
regular route
1st peak in the blanca, sweet views
Jessica L - Apr 14, 2007 11:10 pm Date Climbed: Jul 1, 2006
Intro to Mountaineering
I read that Pisco was a fairly easy climb used often to acclimate. So, I hired a guide and headed to Pisco on my third day in Peru. This was my first time mountaineering and it was brutal, especially since I let my guide set a quicker pace than I could handle and I had to rent gear that didn't fit. I reached the summit and forced a smile for my pictures and immediately headed back down. It was definitely an experience!
Nice and not that long, quiet steep with short mixed passages and on the top, where you exit the face, a little bit scary because of the bad snow and ice!
Not one of the highest peak in the Cordillera Blanca, but certainly one of the most beautiful views (Huascaran, Huandoy, Chopicalqui, Chacraraju, Artesonraju, Alpamayo...). Crossing back the morraine in the heat is definitely a pain in the neck !
sierramtngoat - Sep 7, 2006 12:28 am Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2006
Route Climbed: Normal Route
This was a physically easy climb; if you are acclimatized, you should have no problem. We camped at the Moraine Camp and summitted at a very slow pace in less than five hours. There are crevasses to jump and a fairly steep snow and ice sections but none required two tools. The view from the top was spectacular with many 6000m peaks in the surrounding area. I was expecting this mountain to be cold, but by Cascade standards, this was a warm peak, despite its nearly 19,000 ft. summit. I climbed in windstopper fleace pants and a gortex parka; no layers, just long-johns. I did have to pull my balaclava down when it got windy. Regarding the moraine above base camp: yes, it is difficult, but it is easier to negotiate than the character building talus of the Sierra Nevada; just pay attention and you'll get past it.
bluescrummachine - Aug 25, 2006 12:16 pm Date Climbed: Aug 10, 2006
Route Climbed: Normal Route
Started from basecamp(!) at about 1:30 a.m. and reached the summit at about 7 a.m. as first party (3 climbers) on that day. Clouds started to move in at sunrise, so we could enjoy the view from top only for a short time. Were back at basecamp at about 10 a.m. and took a rest for the remaining day. Nice and easy climb, except the moraine: especially at descent strenuous and concentration required. The weather deteriorated during the coming night and we had snow in the basecamp. Most climbers who started that night had to abort their ascent.
Buz Groshong - Aug 23, 2006 2:39 am Date Climbed: Aug 18, 2006
Normal Route
It snowed about 1 inch the night before we climbed and continued to snow lightly almost all the way to the Pisco-Huandoy Col. After that it was mostly clear for a while and then we were in the clouds up to the summit. I doubt I got a very good summit photo of myself, but I did get a shot of my hand holding the GPS. We were in the clouds most of the way down, so we didn't get hot on the glacier coming down. We started at about 3 AM from moraine camp and got back there before noon - after packing up we headed on down to base camp for the following night.
This was a new personal altitude record and I greatly enjoyed the climb (although all the rock scrambling wore me down quite a bit).
etai101 - Dec 17, 2010 12:54 pm Date Climbed: May 27, 2008
firt climb in the blancagood for the strat got a guide though unescery proved much less daunting
Luciano136 - Aug 5, 2010 12:39 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2010
Standard routeWe only had a short time to acclimate (3 day trek) before attempting Pisco. Luckily we did some good training before leaving for Peru and that really paid off. Left the moraine camp around 2am and were on top around 7am; the pace was actually a bit too slow for me and I got a bit chilly at times. There was a really big group in front of us, which caused a bit of a traffic jam on the final summit slope. All in all, not too hard of a day with a gorgeous starry night, no wind and nearly full moon. It was surreal.
starybaran - Jul 23, 2010 3:12 pm
Normal RouteStarted at 5:00 from refugio Peru, summited at 11:00. I was climbing with an italian climber who was really slow, so it could be reached much earlier, i think in 4 hours could be done without problems. Really easy climb. Views are one of the most beautiful i´ve ever seen.
dwalters1 - Oct 20, 2009 1:24 pm Date Climbed: Jun 14, 2007
Pisco - StandardNice climb with great views of the cordillera - definately soloable, very little crevasse danger. Would recommenda yanapacha as an alternative for acclimatization as pisco can get crowded.
Alberto - Sep 3, 2009 8:42 am Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2009
Normal route: a fantastic dayI climbed Pisco via the normal route from Refuge camp. It took us just over 5 hours to reach the summit just as the sun was coming up. I really enjoyed the climb, the final wall made it a bit more fun. We had been hiking and climbing for a couple of weeks before attempting Pisco, so fortunately no altitude problems. The views from the summit are great as Pisco is ideally positioned in the middle of the main Blanca mountains. I highly recommend it. Only negative aspect, the moraine on the way back was never ending!
FlatheadJim - Jul 4, 2009 12:29 am Date Climbed: Jun 9, 2006
Normal routeNice climb at the tail end of a month in the Blanca. After a month, no strain with altitutde
Ario - Jul 2, 2009 10:16 am Date Climbed: Jun 30, 2009
Normal RouteSoloed via the normal route (PD), leaving the hut (Refugio Peru) at 01:30 and summiting at 08:00. Sunny day but winds of 10 to 30 km/h all night and day with gusts > 50 km/h near the top early in the morning.
puddlecruiser - Apr 24, 2013 10:49 pm
Re: Normal RouteCurious if you felt there was a significant risk doing this as a solo climb on the glacier, or if it's not really an issue to go solo on Pisco?
Dave
eferesen - Jun 18, 2009 11:10 am Date Climbed: Jun 14, 2009
Normal RouteLovely glacier. The views were fantastic. Not as easy as people say it is.... Wonderful day in my life
radson - Aug 20, 2008 5:22 am
Where it all startedMy first time over 5,000 m
hhsilleck - Jul 22, 2008 6:21 pm Date Climbed: Jul 6, 2007
Route climbed: normal routeWe finally all got to the top of a peak in the Cordillera Blanca together, with nobody too sick to summit! With my wife Sonya, Derek, Maggie, Oscar, and Carlos.
snowflake - Mar 21, 2008 3:30 pm
A fun climbAt morraine camp a friend developed HAPE, so went back down with him. Then returned to climb it. Broke my foot on the climb - while on the talus-covered glacier crossing a climber above me set off a rock slide, my foot got caught between two rocks. It wasn't til I got back to the States that an X-ray showed a broken metatarsul. Still, a lot of fun.
ClimberMan420 - Dec 12, 2007 1:14 am Date Climbed: May 9, 2007
Great peakAbsolutely fantastic peak, climbed it in super easy conditions(no problematic crevasses) returned two weeks later and climbed again for asthetic value.
gremlin - Oct 24, 2007 1:30 am Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2007
regular route1st peak in the blanca, sweet views
Jessica L - Apr 14, 2007 11:10 pm Date Climbed: Jul 1, 2006
Intro to MountaineeringI read that Pisco was a fairly easy climb used often to acclimate. So, I hired a guide and headed to Pisco on my third day in Peru. This was my first time mountaineering and it was brutal, especially since I let my guide set a quicker pace than I could handle and I had to rent gear that didn't fit. I reached the summit and forced a smile for my pictures and immediately headed back down. It was definitely an experience!
risch - Jan 24, 2007 3:15 pm
South Face RouteNice and not that long, quiet steep with short mixed passages and on the top, where you exit the face, a little bit scary because of the bad snow and ice!
Fabrice.Rimlinger - Nov 11, 2006 3:44 pm Date Climbed: May 26, 2006
Normal routeNot one of the highest peak in the Cordillera Blanca, but certainly one of the most beautiful views (Huascaran, Huandoy, Chopicalqui, Chacraraju, Artesonraju, Alpamayo...). Crossing back the morraine in the heat is definitely a pain in the neck !
sierramtngoat - Sep 7, 2006 12:28 am Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2006
Route Climbed: Normal RouteThis was a physically easy climb; if you are acclimatized, you should have no problem. We camped at the Moraine Camp and summitted at a very slow pace in less than five hours. There are crevasses to jump and a fairly steep snow and ice sections but none required two tools. The view from the top was spectacular with many 6000m peaks in the surrounding area. I was expecting this mountain to be cold, but by Cascade standards, this was a warm peak, despite its nearly 19,000 ft. summit. I climbed in windstopper fleace pants and a gortex parka; no layers, just long-johns. I did have to pull my balaclava down when it got windy. Regarding the moraine above base camp: yes, it is difficult, but it is easier to negotiate than the character building talus of the Sierra Nevada; just pay attention and you'll get past it.
bluescrummachine - Aug 25, 2006 12:16 pm Date Climbed: Aug 10, 2006
Route Climbed: Normal RouteStarted from basecamp(!) at about 1:30 a.m. and reached the summit at about 7 a.m. as first party (3 climbers) on that day. Clouds started to move in at sunrise, so we could enjoy the view from top only for a short time. Were back at basecamp at about 10 a.m. and took a rest for the remaining day. Nice and easy climb, except the moraine: especially at descent strenuous and concentration required. The weather deteriorated during the coming night and we had snow in the basecamp. Most climbers who started that night had to abort their ascent.
Buz Groshong - Aug 23, 2006 2:39 am Date Climbed: Aug 18, 2006
Normal RouteIt snowed about 1 inch the night before we climbed and continued to snow lightly almost all the way to the Pisco-Huandoy Col. After that it was mostly clear for a while and then we were in the clouds up to the summit. I doubt I got a very good summit photo of myself, but I did get a shot of my hand holding the GPS. We were in the clouds most of the way down, so we didn't get hot on the glacier coming down. We started at about 3 AM from moraine camp and got back there before noon - after packing up we headed on down to base camp for the following night.
This was a new personal altitude record and I greatly enjoyed the climb (although all the rock scrambling wore me down quite a bit).